"If you find good pearls and bring them to me, I can get a price for
them. You cannot do so, therefore it will be to your interests to hand
them over to me."
They nodded, and understood perfectly well what he required of them.
There were many ways of hiding pearls on a schooner, and expert divers
had but little difficulty in concealing them.
The pearl fishing in Shark's Bay proved so unsatisfactory that Phil
Danks strongly advised a move to the north-west.
"Hooker was about right," he said. "The place is worked out; we shall
have no luck here, and it is a waste of time."
It was eventually decided, after a consultation, to clear out of Shark's
Bay and make tracks for Jacob Rank's bay, where they hoped to find him,
and many pearls as well.
This decision was communicated to Amos Hooker, who made it an excuse for
not getting more than two divers to go with them.
"They are splendid fellows," he said, "you'll not find two better
anywhere. Of course, they require watching, most of them do, but they
work well, and are on the whole honest."
He brought Kylis and Miah on board the "Heron," and Phil Danks liked the
look of them, but was curious as to how they came to be at Shark's Bay
with Hooker. He knew very well they were natives, who had seen a good
deal of travelling, and was surprised at their knowledge of English.
Amos, in answer to his inquiries, gave a plausible account of how he
came to find them, but did not state they were on the "Mary Hatchett"
with him.
Terms were fixed, and the two men sailed on the "Heron." Amos Hooker, as
he watched the schooners leave the bay, wondered what would be the
result of the trip. If there was a rich haul he had no doubt he would
come in for a share.
The position of Rank's Bay, as Phil Danks named it, was unknown to them,
but they were determined to find it, and when such men as these skippers
make up their minds to do a thing they generally succeed.
A week after leaving Shark's Bay they came across the entrance to what
looked like a good sized harbour. On either side trees were growing, and
it was an inviting place, providing the passage was safe. Phil Danks
sent out a boat to take soundings, and on their return the man in charge
reported there was plenty of water, but that the bottom was rocky and
covered with coral. His opinion was that a big coral reef existed all
along the coast, which at low tide would be dangerous.
Phil Danks agreed with him, and thought it would be the best plan to
anchor outside the heads, and explore the bay in small boats.
Accordingly, the two skippers, with Jack and Harry, and half a dozen
men, rowed towards the opening.
The sea was as clear as crystal, and at the bottom Jack Redland saw a
sight that astonished him. The boat seemed to be gliding over the jagged
tops of some great mountain range. They were rowing over a coral reef,
and the splendour of the huge masses of grotesque shapes was dazzling.
The movement of the water caused the most beautiful reflections, and
almost every shade of rainbow hues was to be seen. Gorgeously coloured
sea anemones clustered on the white coral, and strangely coloured fish
darted in and out of their hiding places.
"What a wonderful sight!" said Jack.
"Yes, it's not a bad entrance, and there seems to be plenty of
vegetation," said Phil.
"I was alluding to the coral bed," replied Jack.